Students need to realize that apart from delivering high quality of original and unique work that has a comprehensive research included along with various citations and references from authentic sources, they also need to focus on their written language and grammar as well. In this post, we would like to bring the limelight on the use of punctuations within your documents and see to it how each one of them should be used accordingly. Punctuations play an important role for any written document as they are able to offer you the exact meaning that was intended by the author and how they want to relay information through their paper. Missing out on important punctuation marks can be hazardous since it depreciates the value of written work and can even change the meaning of your sentence at times. Hence if you don’t use punctuations appropriately then your superbly composed document may end up being converted into complete nonsense. Here is how you should use the following punctuation marks in your writing.

Colon [:]

For a punctuation mark so small, the colon is actually able to fulfill three main uses.

The colon can be first used after a word including a list, for example, “I am going to the USA for higher education where I will study: economics, philosophy, politics, and sociology”.

The colon can also be used between two independent clauses similarly like a semicolon, only that the second independent clause explains the first one, for example, “Martha didn’t eat her breakfast today: she was already getting late for work”.

The final use of the colon in writing is when the author wants to put an emphasis on something, for example, “Johnny’s car was something special and extraordinary: it was a Ferrari”

Comma [,]

One of the most confusing of all punctuations to use in your writing accurately is the comma. The comma is used for multiple cases. In its most usual form, a comma is used to indicate a slight pause or shift in the sentence, whereas on the other hand it is also used to separate two elements or objects within a list. For example:

January is a fine month of the year, the spring makes the flower blossom and everything seems so soothing. (comma is used to instill a slight shift in the sentence)

My favorite colors include: black, blue, golden, red, and white. (comma is used to separate the different items within the list)

Informal writing, a comma can also be used with a letter after the salutation has been offered. For example “Greetings & Merry Christmas, John” (comma is used after the welcoming gesture).

Dash & Hyphen [-]

While the punctuation remains the same, it is the use of each that distinguishes them from each other. The dash has two common types namely en-dash and em-dash. They are used to separate words into statements, for example:

En dash is used for connections and ranges, such as A-Z, 0-9, or 1986-2018

Em dash is twice as long as en dash and it is used to put importance at the conclusion of the sentence, such as: When Lee asked Jenny to marry him, her answer was quite clear since she profusely said – NO!

Period [.]

Perhaps the most commonly used punctuation mark of all time is what the novices may call as a “full-stop”, they are actually known as ‘periods’ which are used at the ending of each sentence and are extremely important so that the reader can differentiate between two or more sentences.

Question Mark [?]

Another common punctuation mark is the question mark which is used at the end of an interrogative sentence. It is used to affiliate with a direct question and this informs the reader that something has been asked to which a reply must be initiated. For example: Hey you there, what are you doing?

Semi-Colon [;]

Confusing at it can be, however, it is important to know that semicolons are only used to connect independent clauses. Independent clauses are those that do not need a supporting clause to offer the complete meaning; instead, they are complete with their meaning on their own. The semicolon on the other hand simply is used to show a close relationship between the independent clauses. Using a period in case of a semicolon at this point will separate the two independent clauses into two sentences and devoid them of sharing a close relationship with each other. For example “Jenny was tired to her bones; all day long shopping really made her exhausted” (two independent clauses have been linked together using a semicolon in between them instead of a period to show that the two independent clauses are closely interlinked with each other).

We hope the aforementioned guidelines and tips will offer you a greater understanding regarding how to use punctuations appropriately within your written academic work, however if you think that it is currently not feasible for you to master the skills of using them correctly then perhaps seeking professional essay writing help online UK facility could provide you with the masterpiece that you may be looking forward to submitting at your academia and accomplish academic success.

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